Closure for containing vessels.



J. E. DOLDT.

CLOSURE FOR CONTAININGV ESSELS.

A APPLICATION HLEDJUNE 26, I916. 1,300,252.

Patented Apr. 15; 1919.

fnvenior Johizlfioldi m I 0, 1 I 14520771 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. DOLDT, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL METAL SEAL CORPORATION, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

cLosUBE FOR CONTAINING vEssELs.

To all whom it may comma),

'Be it known'that 1, Jon: E. DoLnT, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, county of ()mnlwrland, State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Containing Vessels, of which the following is a specification. 3

This invention rel ates to closures for containing vessels, and particularly to a closure for use with a vessclof the cam lug type. Such vessels usually have a series of four spaced lugs about their mouths and the closure consists of a rotatable cap having an equal number of inturned fingers ada ted for camming engagement with said ugs. Where the container is of lass, considerable difficulty is met in molding the lugs uniformly and evenly so as to present to the fingers of the cap engaging surfaces disposed in the same horizontal plane. The tendency of the lugs to settle after molding often destroys the anlinement, even when they have been accurately alined in the mo ding process. Inasmuch as these closures furthermore frequently are employed to seal vessels containing substances of a highly volatile nature, any variation between the lugs detracts from the tightness of the seal.

Even where one lug is outof line only the thousandth part of an inch, the engagement of the ca at this point is correspondingly loose, an this variation is sufiiciently serious to destroy the desired hermetic nature of the seal, ermitting some ofthe contents of the vesse to escape.

I have discovered that by arranging the lugs at three equidistantly spaced points about the vessel mouth and radially with relation to the center of the pouring opening thereof they will always-be alinable with reference to a cap of slightly larger diameter so that the engaging surfaces of all will be uniformly disposed in the annular path of rotation of the cap fingers, thus eliminating any tendency toward looseness and provid- -mg a hermetic seal of uniform tightness throughout the sealing area. My construction, therefore, provides a seal in which the engagement is at three points which are themselves uniformly and symmetrically disposed with relation to the pouring opening of the container. This insures not only an accurate alinement of the lugs, but since the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application illcdJunc 28, 1916. Serial No. 105,844.,

fingers of the cap are similarly disposed a correspmuling alinement of these fingers, and hen-cc an 'acmn'acy of sealing engagement not possible with more than three lugs.

In addition to the foregoing, the seal of the present invention presents certain features of. advantage in the formation of the cap fingers themselves, both as to their position about the cap periphery, and as to a bracing or trussing effect which their ar-.

rangement exerts upon the stock of the cap. These caps are stamped from sheet metal stock of the proper thickness and resiliency, and where the arrangement of the fingers has not been such as to brace the cap skirt, the cap has been liable to permanently buckle or otherwise distort in use.

In an-a'lternative form a special construction is illustrated in which careful provision is 'made for inserting the knurl or flute/d configuration in the cap ri-m, which conuration enables the cap to be readily "grasped and turned,,and' which in the ordinary practice of manufacture has the possible effect of buckling the cap rim or inju-ring the fluting die.

The construction and manner of using my seal, together with a preferred and several alternativeembodiments thereof are fully disclosed in the specification which follows, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly ointed out in the appended elaims. hroughout specification and drawings like reference characters are correspondingly applied, and in these d-rarwm gs Figure 1 is an elevation of a preferred form of container and closure in accordance with my invention, the closure being shown in section- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container.

Fig. 3 is an underneath view of the closure removed.

Fig. 4 is a section of an alternative form of closure, and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a further modification.

I have indicated at 1 a containing vessel which may be of any appropriate size, shape and material. Spaced equidistantly about the mouth of the container and arranged radially with relation to the center of the filling opening thereof are three cam lugs of general pyramidal form. Each lug hasits under face 2 sloped upwardly and outwardly away from the container, its lateral faces 3 sloped upwardly toward each other from opposite ends of the lug, and'its top face 4 sloped downwardly toward the under face, all faces terminating at substantially the center of the lug.

The closure of my invention in one embodilnent consists of a cap 7 having a continuous depending skirt or flange 8 provided with three similarly formed iii-turned fingers 9 of relatively large extent. The fingers 9 are disposed at substantially right angles to the cap flange and are arcually curved from their'centers outwardly toward their ends, terminating in angularly disposed portions 10 which meet and extend for a short distance as a part of the cap flange forming at these points three fingers or trusses 11 which brace and strengthen the flange against permament distortion in the seating of the cap.-

In the embodiment of Fig. 4 the cap skirt is rolled upwardly andoutwardly and back upon itself and extends as a continuous rim 1?. which is cut out at three e uidisitant points 13 to .permit it to be pass over the container lugs and be rel'easably engaged therewith. The cut-outs 13 are of slightly greater 'size than the lugs to permit the cap to be readily applied to the container.

In the embodlment shown in Fig. 5, the cap skirt is flared downwardly, and out ward-1y as indicated at 14 and terminates in a rolled rim 15 similar to the rim 12. In

this form the inner face of the flared portion 14 bears against the lateral faces of the lugs and the terminusof the rim 15 against the under faces of the lugs. The flared formation is especially suitable for receiving the 'knurl or fluted configuration, presenting as itdoes a sloped surface to the fluting die and thereby lessening both the I liability of-bucklin the cap skirt in insertto'playo'n the mouth ofthe container. This ing the flutings an injury to the die itself. The cap 7 is made with its internal diameter greater than the greatest external portion of the lugs e of a slight lateral lateral play permits of an adjustment of the cap to that plane in which the three lugs lie or in which those bearing surfaces of the three lugs lie which will be engaged by the inturned fingers or rims of the cap. 4

The adjustment is thereforeefl'ected by an automatic lateral shifting of the cap to find a plane of contact with all three lugs which is still parallel with the mouth of the vessel.

' The cap in all forms is applied and removed by simple rotation in either direction. In this action the fingers ride along the under faces of the In and the flange along one of the pairs 0 lateral faces of formly in the same horizontal the ,lugs reaching its point of maximum engagement at the centers of the lugs.

Various modifications in' the form and construction of my invention may obviously be resorted to if within the limits of the ap ended claims,

hat I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. In combination, a container having three cam lugs about its mouth and so arranged. with relation to the vertical axis of the container and to each other as to present alined engaging surfaces disposed uniformly in the same horizontal plane, and BnClOSlJI'B, having a dependin skirt terminating in three inturned resi lent engaging fingers disposed for rogressive engagement by rotation of the c osurewith sald engaging surfaces of the lugs to draw the closure downwardly and inwardly on to the. container. x 2. In combination, a container having three cam lugs about its mouth and so arranged with relation to the vertical axis of the container and to each other as to resent alined engaging surfaces dispose unip ane, and a closure having a depending skirt terminating in three inturned resilient engagingwardly extended depending resillent skirt terminating in an engaging surface disposed for progressive cammin en agement with ,the engagin surfaces 0 sai lugs to draw the closure downwardly and inwardly on to the container.

4:.v In combination, a containing vessel, three engagin cam lu s symmetricall spaced'about t e mouth 0 said vessel, sai lugs having upwardly beveled under faces disposed uniformly in the same horizontal plane, and a cap of greater diameter than the maximum dlameter of said vessel, and having inturned resilient lug engaging portions adapted to find a horizontal bearing upon the under faces of said lugs to draw the closure downwardly and inwardly on to the container.

-5.* In combination, a container having a plurality of spaced cam lugs about its mouth so arranged with relation to the vertical axis of the container and to each other as to present alined engaging surfaces disposed a closure having a plurality of spaced resilient engaging surfaces disposed or progressive engagement by rotation of the closure in either direction with said engaging surfaces of the lugs. I

6. In combination with a container having a series of lugs about its mouth uniformly disposed in the same horizontal plane, each lug of general pyramidal form and consisting of an upwardly sloped under face, opposite lateral faces sloped upwardly toward each other from the ends of. the lug, and a downwardly sloped upper face, and all of said faces terminating at substantially the center of the lug, a closure conbrace the skirt against permanent distortion in the seating of the cap.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN E. DOLDT. Witnesses:

GEORGE D. Cnoss, I BENJ. W. RIVERS. 

